This is another great blog post which might help many writers. It’s written by Kristen Lamb and does answer many of my questions. I’m sure I won’t be the only author who learns a lot from this article.
Image via Flikr Creative Commons, via Mikko Luntiala
Publishing, like most other things, is not immune to fashion. This is what makes teaching craft a moving target. What is en vogue today could be passé tomorrow. And yes we are artists, but I believe most of us are artists who’ve grown rather fond of eating. This means we do need to keep audience tastes in mind when we are “creating” since they will be the ones who fork over cold hard cash.
Today we will touch on a question I get a lot from new writers.
To prologue or not to prologue? That is the question.
The problem with the prologue is it has kind of gotten a bad rap over the years, especially with agents. They generally hate them. Why? In my opinion, it is because far too many writers don’t use prologues properly and that, in itself, has…
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Writer's Treasure Chest 
Good article. As a reader, I love prologues if done well. A prologue is sort of like cocktails before an amazing meal.
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I know what you mean, Juliette, and I totally agree. But then: I still have a lot to learn and I want to learn how to write a proper prologue. As a reader I don’t want to be bored out of my socks by a prologue. How interesting would then the book be…?
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Good points. I guess a prologue is only as good as the author’s skills to tell a good story. 😉
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I figure I better be very, very careful with prologues. LOL After all, I want readers to continue to the book, right?
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Prologues when and if necessary. And when you do, write it extremely well, because that prologue is the first impression you give your readers. I like them, but try not to use them too often. They can be a great way of grabbing the readers attention, but they can also give away too much if you’re not careful. A good opening scene can also grab a reader as well. However, I’d say the author really has to know their own story and decide which works best for it.
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Thank you very much for sharing your opinion, experience and thoughts with us, Allan. I really appreciate it!
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I guess it’s like any other writing tool, used properly, written well and relevant to the story it should work.
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